19 Action News Chopper used to blow dry South High's football field (with video)

While South High School does not have to worry about a court decision determining whether or not it makes the Ohio high school football playoffs this year, the Willoughby school brought in some air support Friday morning to make sure the field at Harry E. Winters Stadium was playable.

Hurricane Sandy dropped so much rain throughout the week that traditional means of drying the natural grass field were not working well enough, threatening to move the game to a different stadium. But the 19 Action News Chopper came to help hasten the drying process.

As he watched the aircraft hover over the field, Steve Nedlik said this hasn't been done in his six years of being South's athletic director.

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"We've kind of been pulling out all the stops," Nedlik said.

The school would continue working on the field throughout the day, using heaters and commercial drying products for especially wet areas, Nedlik said.

The television station's helicopter hovered just a few feet off the ground, moving slowly back and forth across the field. The spinning blades have a sort of blow-drying effect on the field, hopefully bringing it to a more playable condition.

Nedlik said the helicopter pilot had successfully dried the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls in the past, so he was confident it would work.

Dark clouds threatened to bring even more rain throughout the day, so Nedlik said the school was looking for a tarp to protect the field.

"We're just going to hope the lake enhanced rain stays somewhere other than Willoughby," the athletic director said.

Nedlik added the school used a family connection to help bring the chopper to the school. South football coach Matt Duffy's brother Brian is an anchor and reporter for 19 Action News.

Nedlik said he got the idea while working as the recreation director in Willowick before he became South's athletic director.

"I always thought it would be a great way to dry something really quickly."

The Rebels will host the North Royalton Bears Saturday at 7 p.m. tonight in a Division I regional quarterfinal game. South (10-0) has not lost a game this season.